Swarm of thousands of bees delays Pittsburgh flight

Thousands of bees swarm on the wing of a Delta Air Lines flight at Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh. The flight from Pittsburgh to New York was delayed until Repasky, a beekeeper, was called in to remove them.

Justin Merriman / AP

A beekeeper, gathers up bees that swarmed on the wing of a Delta Air Lines flight.

Master beekeeper Stephen Repasky tells KDKA-TV he was called out on Wednesday when the bees gathered on the wing of the plane as crews were getting ready to fuel the plane.

Repasky says such swarms form when colonies become too large and the queen leaves half of her bees behind to find a newhome. Some swarms can contain 25,000 to 30,000 bees.